Al-Qaida has been angering a lot of Imams over the years. The practice of takfir especially drives a lot of folks nuts--the declaration of Infidel without the endorsement of any clergy, and acting upon that declaration has killed a LOT of Muslims. Well, Muslims that still consider themselves Muslims, and who their Imams still consider Muslims, the Fundamentalists and extremists not so much, and it gets around that pesky prohibition of killing the faithful...

GAT_00:Isn't this the second headline in a month expressing surprise at the existence of Timbuktu?

To be fair, the existence of Timbuktu may also mean that rabbits dressing up in drag will fool hunters into marrying them, and that sort of beastiality/homoeroticism confuses and confounds folks. No one likes the light of the truth on their sexuality exposed, so better to hold on to incredulity, than wonder if their Bugs Bunny-slash fiction folder is too large...

hubiestubert:GAT_00: Isn't this the second headline in a month expressing surprise at the existence of Timbuktu?

To be fair, the existence of Timbuktu may also mean that rabbits dressing up in drag will fool hunters into marrying them, and that sort of beastiality/homoeroticism confuses and confounds folks. No one likes the light of the truth on their sexuality exposed, so better to hold on to incredulity, than wonder if their Bugs Bunny-slash fiction folder is too large...

1.) This was not Al-Qaeda, this was Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is the new name of an old organization called the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) that just took the Al-Qaeda label because they thought it sounded better and would get them more media attention.2.) Of course Muslims have saints. All the major religions have holy men/women or the equivalent of it, people blessed by the diety/dieties who did their will and are revered afterwards.3.) AQIM is notorious for not trying to win hearts and minds. They started off as political revolutionaries similar to FARC in Colombia, and when they lost that battle, they ran off into the desert, merged with another Algerian organization (GIA), and have started just blowing shiat up with no real end goal in sight other than violent overthrow of governments they disagree with.

Somacandra:hubiestubert: Al-Qaida has been angering a lot of Imams over the years.

[press.princeton.edu image 160x243]

That's true of many other Islamist movements as well. The ritzy production values and superficial devotions against the nebulous West drive more serious clerics in South Asia pretty batty.

Only 40% of Muslims in the world are in the Middle East. That a tiny percentage of these folks have shaped the discussion is part of the problem. Well, that and the idiots who think that a faith that is not much older than Christianity is going to be more unified than that faith...

hubiestubert:Somacandra: hubiestubert: Al-Qaida has been angering a lot of Imams over the years.

[press.princeton.edu image 160x243]

That's true of many other Islamist movements as well. The ritzy production values and superficial devotions against the nebulous West drive more serious clerics in South Asia pretty batty.

Only 40% of Muslims in the world are in the Middle East. That a tiny percentage of these folks have shaped the discussion is part of the problem. Well, that and the idiots who think that a faith that is not much olderyounger than Christianity is going to be more unified than that faith...

Rincewind53:hubiestubert: Somacandra: hubiestubert: Al-Qaida has been angering a lot of Imams over the years.

[press.princeton.edu image 160x243]

That's true of many other Islamist movements as well. The ritzy production values and superficial devotions against the nebulous West drive more serious clerics in South Asia pretty batty.

Only 40% of Muslims in the world are in the Middle East. That a tiny percentage of these folks have shaped the discussion is part of the problem. Well, that and the idiots who think that a faith that is not much older younger than Christianity is going to be more unified than that faith...

Some Muslim sects revere deceased holy people as examples of piety have saints. The Sufi honor holy men and make pilgrimages to their graves, as do the Shi'a, but the Sunni do not, and the Salafi wing of Sunni Islam regard the veneration of anything other than God as idolatry, in their eyes a crime worthy of death. That's why the religious establishment in Saudi has destroyed almost all of ancient Mecca because they feared that the religious aura from the Prophet(PBUH)'s house and other sites from his time would distract Muslims from worship of God.

Nothing like winning support among your people by blowing up their sacred sites.

BTW, I also recall, dimly, something about Timbuktu being renamed something else years ago. Since I'm not particularly interested in the general area, I haven't bothered to check.

I suspect that Al Qaeda is starting to self destruct. Without it's fanatically insane leader, it'll probably begin to disperse into splinter cells, with an assortment of self proclaimed leaders. Look for the eventual time when they start to turn on each other -- usually over one cell not being fanatical enough.

Since Saudi Arabia is a heavy contributor to Al Qaeda, watch them for reports of decreasing funding. They don't mind the slaughter of infidels, especially Jews, even if you have to take down 10 believers to get one non-believer. However, they frown on the destruction of their holy sites.

Rik01:Nothing like winning support among your people by blowing up their sacred sites.

BTW, I also recall, dimly, something about Timbuktu being renamed something else years ago. Since I'm not particularly interested in the general area, I haven't bothered to check.

I suspect that Al Qaeda is starting to self destruct. Without it's fanatically insane leader, it'll probably begin to disperse into splinter cells, with an assortment of self proclaimed leaders. Look for the eventual time when they start to turn on each other -- usually over one cell not being fanatical enough.

Since Saudi Arabia is a heavy contributor to Al Qaeda, watch them for reports of decreasing funding. They don't mind the slaughter of infidels, especially Jews, even if you have to take down 10 believers to get one non-believer. However, they frown on the destruction of their holy sites.

hubiestubert:GAT_00: Isn't this the second headline in a month expressing surprise at the existence of Timbuktu?

To be fair, the existence of Timbuktu may also mean that rabbits dressing up in drag will fool hunters into marrying them, and that sort of beastiality/homoeroticism confuses and confounds folks. No one likes the light of the truth on their sexuality exposed, so better to hold on to incredulity, than wonder if their Bugs Bunny-slash fiction folder is too large...

You get scary on Sunday afternoons when you've been drinking all weekend.